This incredibly delicious slow cooker recipe brings the flavors of my favorite restaurant dish right to my kitchen.

Whenever I see chicken mole on the menu at a Mexican restaurant, I know exactly what I’m ordering. Mole, a deep, rich Mexican sauce made with a variety of chilies, cocoa, and spices, is my go-to choice—not only because it’s so flavorful but also because I appreciate the time and effort it takes to craft a perfect mole.

Can you prepare mole sauce in a slow cooker?

While nothing compares to a mole sauce prepared by a skilled Mexican chef, there’s a slow cooker version I’ve made multiple times for my family that tastes surprisingly close to my favorite restaurant dish. The slow cooker chicken mole recipe from Elaine05 has received hundreds of rave reviews, so I had high expectations before trying it myself.

“This mole recipe has a dark, rich, and complex flavor. I usually shred the chicken to help it absorb the mole sauce and serve it with warm tortillas,” says Elaine05. “You can easily adjust the recipe to suit your preferred level of spiciness or the intensity of cocoa or peanut flavor. Mole sauce has many variations to play with.”

How to Prepare Chicken Mole in a Slow Cooker

This slow cooker chicken mole recipe is the ultimate 'set-it-and-forget-it' meal. I often make it for weeknight dinners or prepare it on Sundays to use for lunches throughout the week. To make it, simply add a chopped onion, raisins, garlic, sesame seeds, canned chipotle peppers in adobo, peanut butter, crushed tomatoes, sugar, cinnamon, chili powder, cumin, coriander, nutmeg, and cocoa powder to a slow cooker and mix everything together. Then, toss in 1 ½ to 2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts and cook it all on Low for a few hours.

Once the chicken is tender and easy to shred, I transfer the meat to a mixing bowl and take a look at the mole sauce in the slow cooker. I prefer my mole smooth, so if the onions and raisins haven’t broken down completely, I use an immersion blender to puree the sauce before adding the shredded chicken back in.

Dinogo Community Feedback and Praise

This slow cooker mole recipe has received over 200 reviews from Dinogo community members. One reviewer said, 'Loved this recipe! At the four-hour mark, I shredded the chicken with two forks and blended the sauce with an immersion blender for a smooth texture. The heat level was perfect for me, though others might prefer to add more chipotle chiles.'

Another user described it as 'the easiest and most authentic-tasting chicken mole I’ve ever made,' while someone else called the slow cooker chicken dish 'absolutely phenomenal.'

'This dish was incredible,' said a different reviewer. 'I served it with warm tortillas, lettuce, tomato, salsa, avocado slices, hot sauce, and sour cream, alongside Mexican-style rice. The flavors were so rich and complex, with so many elements that complemented each other perfectly.'

How to Serve Slow Cooker Chicken Mole

The easiest way to serve this slow cooker chicken mole is with a side of rice, beans, and warmed tortillas. We’ve also used the shredded chicken to make rice bowls and top salads. It’s a smoky, flavorful dish that complements everything from taco toppings to Sloppy Joe-style sandwiches, and it delivers some of the most flavorful, well-seasoned shredded chicken I’ve ever prepared at home.

This recipe is perfect for doubling. I often make two batches in my large slow cooker and freeze half for a quick weeknight dinner later. However, it’s so easy to prepare that there’s no need to make it ahead of time—just add the ingredients to the slow cooker, let it cook for a few hours, and you’ll have a delicious slow cooker chicken mole dinner ready to enjoy.

Get the recipe: Slow Cooker Chicken Mole